ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Masoud Barzani, head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), met on Thursday with France’s Consul General in the Kurdistan Region, Dominique Mas.

After three years as the top French diplomat in the Kurdistan Region, Mas is bringing his tenure in the region to a close.

"I am proud to have contributed, alongside my compatriots and our regional partners, to France's action in this part of the world," he said in a statement released on the consulate's website.

He continued, highlighting his mission's "political action at the height of the embargo imposed by the government of Prime Minister Abadi and neighboring countries; our cultural presence with the French Institute and our contribution to local research with the French Institute of the Middle East."

In Thursday's meeting with Barzani, Mas congratulated the Kurdish leader on the observance of Eid Al-Adha as he declared the end of his term in Kurdistan Region and spoke warmly of the close relationship between France and the Kurdistan Region in both the past and present.

According to Barzani's media office, the two discussed Erbil-Baghdad ties, with both emphasizing the necessity of addressing the outstanding issues between the two governments with dialogue and continued cooperation.

For his part, Barzani, said he appreciated France’s ongoing efforts to develop his nation's ties with the Kurdistan Region further and wished the consul general luck in his next position.

Although Masoud Barzani has held no official governmental post since he resigned as the region’s president in the wake of the region's September 2017 referendum, he continues to play a central and influential role in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq as a whole.